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When and where have you found yourself utterly amazed – full of awe and wonder?

Years ago, while touring Germany, members of the group kept exclaiming over the sights that we saw around every bend in the road– as though these vistas were unrivaled.  Each new day we were ripe for discovery and curiosity. The whole experience was so wonderful I thrilled to the adventure.  Towards the end of the trip, however, as I was longing for home, I came to a personal realization that there was as much beauty to be had right there – back home – if only I would have the eyes to see it.

I’ve never forgotten the implication of that awareness and have tried to make it a daily intention to see the stunning wonders in my own back yard.

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood & I found myself humming strains of an old hymn.  A few phrases stirred in my memory & I wanted to get outside and experience the song and sing the mighty power of God– Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed where-e’er I turn my eye: If I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the sky!

The fading October landscape offers me more than I bargained for. Bright blue chicory defies traffic where it grows up out of the gravel along the shoulder of the road.  Gleaming golden rod flashes in dappled sunshine like a blinking yellow traffic signal urging alertness to the beauty of the day.  Dense dark brown cattails & fluffy milkweed pods boast of fertility. Consider the potential in the soon to be released seeds! Seasonal grasses, even as they die off this late in the autumn of the year, bear much promise, in the cycle of seasons. Burnished leaves on the common bushes roadside suggest that I stay tuned with great expectation for the majestic fall color display just around the corner. The contrasting textures and colors delight the senses. Earthy damp smells of autumn entice me to breathe deep. There is the tart aroma of fallen apples. Wafting in the gentle breeze is more than a hint of pine. The air is alive with the raucous call of crows….

Filled with awe and wonder, I gratefully gather up an abundance of nature’s offerings. Sorted out, the gleanings make a lovely mandala. 

This is an occasional practice that I particularly enjoy.

On this stunningly beautiful day in the neighborhood I couldn’t stop there – the woodland in my very own yard beckons.

Softly carpeted with fallen needles, the ground, hosts an amazing number and variety of fungi. Dainty fairy rings circle round robust mushrooms. So mysterious, they are - growing in the shadows of the softly whispering pines. Here, I collect another assortment of the seasons gifts and select a few for another artistic display of my own imaginative arrangement.

Now, what’s keeping you from getting out there?

Overwhelm us with wonder, Lord: that our souls might rest in awe.

Allow yourself to be amazed – filled with awe and wonder. I’d love for you to share. Where have you awakened to the beauty and joy of God?